Monday, 11 April 2016

A complain from an Irish monk.

Sedulius Scottus was an Irish monk living in the ninth
century and flourishing around 840 - 860.. Nothing is known about his early
life. According to the English wiki entry, he stayed at Iceland in a monastery
set up by Irish monks, but when the Vikings came to settle there, they were
driven away. This interesting piece of information is absent from Hellen
Waddell’s biographical note, so I am not sure about this claim. What is certain
is that he went to Liège, where bishop Hartgar took care of him Sedulius Scottus was very learned, being both
fluent in Latin and Greek – very rare in Western Europe at that time. He was a
prolific writer in Latin and a translator of Greek. No wonder Hartgar was found of him and
made him his clerk. A lifelong friendship developed, which came to an end by
Hartgar’s death – deeply bemoaned by Sedulius.He must have had a fine sense of humour as is clear from this poem in
which he asks bishop Hartgar for a drink: he needs it for writing poetry. Indeed,
monk or not, an Irishman.

SEDULIUS SCOTTUS

Ad Hartgarium

Nunc viridant segetes, nunc florent germine campi,

nunc turgent
vites, est nunc pulcherrimus annus,

nunc pictae
volucres permulcent ethera cantu,

nunc mare,
nunc tellus, nunc celi sidera rident.

At non
tristificis perturbat potio sucis,

cum medus
atque Ceres, cum Bacchi munera desint,

heu - quam
multiplicis defit substantia carnis,

quam mitis
tellus generat, quam roscidus ether.

Scriptor sum
(fateor), sum musicus alter et Orpheus,

sum bos
triturans, prospera quaeque volo.

sum vester miles sophie preditus armis;

pro nobis nostrum, Musa, rogato patrem.

virido: to become
green

seges, segetis
(f.): corn

germen, germinis
(n.): bud

turgeo tursi:
to be swollen

vitis, vites
(f.): vine

permulceo permulsi
permulsum: to charm

potio, potionis
(f.): a drink

At non tristificis
perturbat potio sucis =At non potio (me) perturbat (cum)
trisificis sucis : but no drnik disturbs me with saddening liquor. Tristificus
refers to the effect of too much alcohol and perturbat is at first sight also strange, but remember that this
poem was written in a joking spirit.

medus: mead

Ceres: beer

defit: (rare
form) passive of deficio: `is
lacking’

multiplicis carnis
substantia: the substance of multiple flesh are the various forms of
alcoholic drinks mentiond above.

roscidus: dewy
(roscidus ether = rain)

trituro: to
thrash, tread (bos triturans: "You
shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." Is it for the oxen
that God cares (1 Corinthians 9.9)prospera quaeque volo: I want all that is prosperous (for you)

praeditus (c.
abl.): gifted with

rogato: 2nd sg
fut imperat act

There are various translations on internet, but the one
by Hellen Waddell is the only one I can copy paste.